Welcome to Wonderland
by Oreana Galena
Summary: A girl falls into a wonderland full of adventure, growing within the confines of this dreamy world to experience hope, despair, love, and what is up is down and what is down is up.  Jin x OC
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Notes**_: I decided to give a try at another of my fanfics I had on my list, seeing as I am an Alice in Wonderland fan. I just always loved the thought of the story—a girl falling into her own vivid world whenever she dreams.

I had concocted a few crazy images about it before that are within my DA gallery. You can have a peek at them if you desire. :3

Sorry if there is slight or major OOCness in this—but it is the YYH characters acting through the Alice in Wonderland ones.

_**Description**_: A girl falls into a wonderland full of adventure, growing within the confines of this dreamy world to experience hope, despair, love, and what is up is down and what is down is up. (**NC-17**) (**Jin x OC**)

_**Disclaimer**_: Yu Yu Hakusho was created by Yoshihiro Togashi, and the brilliant characters and world of Wonderland belong to Lewis Carroll and **NOT ME**! All other original characters created by me are copywrite to me and are to remain so.

_**Musical Inspiration**_: "Your Body is a Wonderland" – John Mayer

"Moonlight Shadow" – Groove Coverage

"In My Dreams" – Groove Coverage

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open quickly at the sudden dream she had just encountered. In the room merely lit by candlelight, the ten-year-old child turned to the window near her bed to stare out into the moonlight she could just see over the pouring rain.

She could hear the commotion downstairs, involving a late night tea of some kind within their elegant house. Aware that her father was probably awake, the young girl got to her bare feet and walked quietly down the steps towards the living room.

Pulling a cigar from his mouth, Bernard Little continued talking about the latest happenings within London to his group of poker buddies that evening. Amidst the conversation, he caught sight of his daughter walking by the archway into the living room. "Holly," Bernard called in attempts to stop his daughter.

He raised his hands to his group, apologetically departing from their company to make it towards his wandering daughter, who appeared to be heading for the kitchen. "Holly," he called one more time, with a light chuckle in his voice. "What on earth are you doing up at this hour?"

Holly had pulled a cup from the towering cabinets into her hand. "I had that funny dream again, and I thought something to drink might help." She showed her father the empty, green cup in her hands.

Bernard shook his gelled, brown hair before reaching down to scoop up his daughter into his arms. "How about we have ice-cream before bed—our little secret, eh?"

A smile graced Holly's lips as she nodded feverishly at his request. She knew her father always had unique ways of going about curing any nightmare she may have.

Back within her canopy bed, Holly began to eat the chocolate syrup drizzled vanilla ice-cream her father had put together for her and himself. "I don't know if mother would allow this."

"Your mother finds weird and silly behavior normal," Bernard Little said with a smirk at remembering his wife, who currently slept peacefully within their bedroom. "As she always says, whatever is forwards should be backwards and always will within her world."

"So, dinner for breakfast, snacks for brunch, and breakfast for dinner," Holly said in order to recite her mother's rules.

"And ice-cream to cure the perfect nightmare," Bernard felt need to add as well, waving his spoon slightly before eating the delight. "So what was this nightmare all about?"

Holly rolled her shoulders, as she kept her long, stringy brown hair out of her way. "There was a woman in red…she always was yelling, and there card men, and a cat that would disappear with a big grin," Holly explained, as she found herself resting back upon her covers.

Bernard couldn't help but smile at everything she was trying to tell him. "You're starting to sound like your mother." He moved the covers up under the chin of his daughter once their dessert for the night was finished. "She would talk about this _Wonderland_ of hers when we first started dating."

"Was she ever afraid of it?" Holly asked, feeling a bit relaxed under her father's touch to her head.

"No, no," Bernard answered his daughter, as he leaned against the empty space on the bed. "She was actually quite fascinated with it." He grabbed onto Holly's wrist gently with a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry too much about that nightmare, my dear. Just remember that dreams cannot hurt you."

"Thanks, daddy," Holly yawned, hoping that she could sleep peacefully this time.

Bernard made sure his daughter was asleep before pulling the empty bowl from her and blowing out the candle near her bed that was helping illuminate the room for the time being. "Goodnight, Holly, and sleep well." With that said, he left the bedroom to attend to his guests downstairs.

However, as Holly slept, she found herself standing in a very heavy mist. She recognized it as to where she was standing before she forced herself to wake. Something had been calling her to a location, and the last thing Holly could remember before waking up was that the disappearing cat, with a rather eerie grin, had told her the 'hatter' wanted to see Holly.

All Holly could see was mist, however, the further on she went. She wasn't sure where this hatter could possibly be, until the mist began to slowly part and there stood a perfect, white fence about a two-story house.

Holly opened the front gate to see a bunch of red rose bushes lining the fence as well as a few other unique looking flowers. She was mindful of them, as she made it further into the front yard to find a rather long table lined with many chairs and several different teapots. Holly made it over towards the table to find nobody there, though the sign clearly showed that a hatter and hare lived within the area.

"Hello?" Holly called, as she walked about the awkwardly shaped house. She found herself going behind the house to see more of the flowers. The further on she walked, the louder a soft humming she could hear soon became. "Hello, is someone here?"

Right as she asked, she found herself suddenly drenched by water. "Hey!" Holly exclaimed, shaking the water off of her nightgown she was wearing.

Hearing the strange voice, a redhead with soft, lavender colored floppy, rabbit ears peered around the forest of roses and flowers. "Oh! I am sorry!" He apologized, as he pushed his way past the flora to get to Holly.

Holly looked up at the towering redhead to see he was wearing a violet colored coat, with a white undershirt and light blue pants, which matched his bowtie color. She couldn't help but note that his coordination of clothing was rather bizarre.

"I wasn't expecting company, so you startled me!" The hare said in his defense.

"I was told by the grinning cat that some hatter was here who wanted to see me," Holly said in return.

"He is here and there," the hare answered, ushering Holly out of the backyard and back to the front. "My name is Kurama, by the way." Kurama could feel the dampness in Holly's hair, prompting him to wring it out a bit.

"I am Holly," she said in return, flinching a bit from him roughly messing with her hair. "Ouch, you're going to pull my hair out!"

"My apologizes," said Kurama, as he helped her into the colorful house. "Why don't we get you something new to wear and get you…dry."

The inside of the house made little sense to Holly. Everything was a different color, and the upstairs looked as though it were upside down. She found herself sitting upon a white and black striped sofa, near the blue wall. "Your home doesn't make any sense," said the 10-year-old.

"Or is it that you don't make any sense?" Came another voice within the house. "Everything in this non-sensible world makes the most sense."

Holly looked around, confused. "That—that doesn't make _**any**_ sense." She looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, knowing it hadn't come from Kurama. When she brought her sight to the right of the room, she found another redhead, with wild hair and even wilder hat sitting beside her. Holly couldn't help but jump slightly. "Who are you?"

Taking off the large, green hat, the toothy male grinned. "My name is Jin, and I see you've met Kurama." Here, he couldn't help but note the soaking wet attire Holly was shivering within.

"I am sorry, but my garden is taller than her," Kurama pointed out, as he excused himself from the scene to find something else for her to wear.

"I guess the Cheshire cat directed you in this direction?" Jin asked, as he took off his orange coat to put around Holly. "We haven't had any visitors in some time. Not since the last one." He brought the large coat closer to the front of Holly in hopes of keeping her warmer.

"This place doesn't make any sense to me," said Holly, as she moved a bit away from the crazy hatter. "It scares me a bit."

Jin shrugged slightly, as if it weren't shocking news. "Whatever doesn't make sense to others, frightens them. So," he began, pointing at her, "what you need to do is make sense of it, and then your fear will be gone."

Holly found the hatter being a lot more welcoming than she expected he would. She offered a brief smile to his words to express her thanks.

Kurama finally resurfaced with a rather baggy shirt he figured would suffice as her nightgown replacement. "Well, this should do for now." He showed the long sleeved, violet shirt. "I had a spare in my room."

"At _**least**_ let her get dry!" Jin pointed out, as he took the shirt from Kurama. Looking at his hat, he reached into it and pulled out a towel like a magic trick. "Here, this shall do." Taking the towel, he used it in replace of the coat Kurama had on to dry Holly from the water she was 'welcomed' with.

"The grinning cat said you wanted to see me," Holly tried to express from the towel being used to dry her hair. "What did you need me for?"

Before either one could answer, the crooked grandfather clock chimed the hour.

"Well," Jin said, turning his focus back to Holly, "the reason I asked for your attendance here is because it is now tea time."

"But it is a weird time for tea," said Holly, noticing that the time was three o'clock.

"Every time is tea time," Kurama felt need to point out, as he removed her wet gown from her body. He took the shirt of his and helped Holly into it. She looked as though she was being eaten by the fabric, considering how big it was on her.

Holly could hardly make it to the end of the sleeves with her tiny hands. "This shirt is too big," she lightly complained.

"Then, I will just have to carry you," Jin said, picking her up into his arms.

She held tightly onto the hatter's neck, resting against his shoulder. Holly felt secure, as though she were about her father. She almost felt like closing her eyes and drifting back to the real, sensible world, but she fought the urge, as the two redheads took her outside to the table she saw previously.

Helping her to the first seat, Jin made sure she was comfortable before taking his own at the end of the long table. "Care for some tea, Holly?" He asked, grabbing a nearby teapot to hold over her empty cup.

"You kept your tea outside?" Holly found that a bit awkward, as she accepted the offer.

"Only for a while," answered Kurama, as he peeked through a few of the teapots to see what tea was in where. He couldn't help but shake the nearest, pink pot to see if there was anything special within it. "The sun helps make it taste flavorful."

Holly tasted the tea carefully to find that it was of a different flavor. "It does taste good," she admitted. "You have tea about the same time my mother does."

"Your mother is a brilliant woman," complimented Jin. "What is her name?"

"Alice Little," Holly answered. As soon as the name escaped her lips, the two redheads seemed to go quiet. "What is the matter?"

Kurama seemed to struggle to find the words, but he was failing. He raised his brow at Jin, as if urging him to find something to say.

"Umm, well," Jin stammered, "I think the White Queen might be interested in you."

"The White Queen?" Holly was confused and a bit worried. She remembered the last one was in red and white attire. "This isn't the one I ran into on my way here, is it? She was a horrid person with red hearts…"

"Oh, my, no!" Kurama interjected, waving the thought away. "That would be the evil Queen of Hearts—sister of the White Queen. Don't ever consider her way again. She is a horrid person."

"Quite," said Jin, tapping his fingers upon the cup he had. "However, it would be wise that you see the White Queen. I am sure she'll find herself quite interested in you."

"I don't know who she is," Holly said, bringing the cup to her mouth with both her hands around the large cup. She was finding the cup within her hands to be growing, almost, bigger. "What's wrong with my cup…?"

"Oh dear!" Jin gasped, reaching over to grab Holly's shrinking body. He didn't want to lose her within the giant fabric. "Sorry about that. Sometimes things in Wonderland tend to mess with the body more so than the mind."

Holly was finding herself sitting perfectly in Jin's palm, confused. "What are you talking about? Why am I so small?" She struggled to keep the mess of clothing around her body.

Taking scissors, Jin cut some of the shirt so Holly could keep it for part of an outfit. "The tea must have had a little magic in it," he stressed, as he placed Holly down on the table. "I am sure Kurama can think of a perfect gown to make for you at this size."

Kurama's fingers tapped upon the table, as he tried to think of a design for her. "I know!" Taking what was left of the shirt, he began to cut and sew together a perfect dress for the small girl. "Every little girl wants to be a princess, eh? Well, how about a dress for the princess' travel to the Queen's palace?"

Holly found herself within a lacy, purple colored dress. She was also escorted to the rim of the hatter's large, green hat. "I don't know about seeing a Queen. I've never seen a Queen before…" All she could think about is the incident with the Red Queen earlier.

Jin got to his feet, grabbing a nearby cane to twirl about, as he made his way outside of the fenced in area. He and Holly waved goodbye to the hare, who desired to stay behind to watch the house. "I am sure you'll like her," Jin said, as he continued about the misty looking atmosphere. "She is a kind person."

Holly made note that the trees were soon coming into view and were lined with a blue hue from the moonlight. "I remember coming through here before." She could hear something moving within the dark forest, making her a bit nervous considering her size. Holly was afraid that she'd be eaten by some creature.

His blue eyes shifted up to the rim of his hat he could just see. "I don't blame the woods scaring you a bit. It doesn't look very appeasing during the night. Just remember that things can only hurt you if you let it do so," Jin advised, as he dug the end of the cane into the ground upon coming to a halt.

Jin smirked a bit. "I know you're there." Jabbing the butt of the cane into the ground again, a gust of wind blew forwards to cause several leaves to scatter.

The wind seemed to force the grinning cat creature to materialize. The cat's light-blue coat was almost hard to see given the darkness surrounding Wonderland. The aqua markings, however, made it a bit easier to pinpoint the Cheshire cat. The cat hissed like a normal, startled housecat.

"No need to be so demanding," spoke the cat, as he floated towards the two. Holly watched with surprise as the normal looking housecat transformed into a man with cat ears, tail, and legs. His narrow, piercing sky-blue eyes matched the color of his short, hair, while his four aquatic bangs matched his markings.

Holly made note of the fishnet shirt he had on, as well as a black, Celtic cross about his neck. He wore black gloves as well as a gray cloth, which was kept in place by a metal belt of some kind, that hung in front of him at knees length and at the back as well. Holly nearly felt her heart drop when she noted the many layers of teeth grinning at her.

"I see she made it to your house in one piece." He tilted his head in confusion, however. "Wasn't she…taller before?" The Cheshire cat couldn't resist picking her up to get a better look.

"Well, the tea saw fit to shrink her," Jin admitted with a gesture of his hands. He could sense the fright within Holly, and the redhead couldn't help but chuckle. "This is Touya. He is our Cheshire cat of Wonderland." A smirk continued to hook onto Jin's mouth. "Don't worry, he won't eat you."

Touya put Holly back upon Jin's hat before backing away on his large, padded, cat feet. His big, fluffy tail swished from side to side. The longer Holly stared at his tail, the more she could have sworn that it was steadily disappearing. The tail was gradually vanishing, leaving behind the aquatic rings on it before they as well started to unravel like a present ribbon.

"I will see you all later then." Touya bowed gracefully at that point, and soon all that could be seen was the wide grin upon his face, before it disappeared like the rest of his body.

"Such a strange cat…" Holly's voice trailed off, as the hatter continued on his way through the woods.

"You have cats where you live?" Jin inquired, as he began to spin the cane about like a baton.

"Yes, but not like that one." She looked behind the width of the hat to see if the Cheshire cat was lurking nearby still. Holly couldn't deny that the cat still put her on edge. "They don't talk, and they don't disappear like that."

Jin shook his head, as he managed to make it through the forest and into an open field. "Such a boring world you must come from."

Before Holly could retaliate, her words stopped midway from her mouth at seeing a large, white castle in the distance. "Is that the White Queen's castle?"

"Apparently," said the hatter. "She lives quite the ways away, but the walk is worth it."

"She seems to live quite far." Her hands gripped onto the rim of the rather large, green hat. "Why do you want me to see the White Queen? What could she possibly do for me?"

Jin couldn't help but hide his toothy grin under the hat he wore. "I am sure she'll find you to be quite interesting."

The two continued throughout Wonderland until finding their way to the white, marble crafted castle. Jin wandered down the road before him, lined with cherry blossom trees on either side of the road. The castle just seemed to get bigger the closer they got to it—more so for Holly, given her case.

Holly squinted her eyes through the sudden fog overtaking the scene. The large, double doors had opened to reveal a figure in a very sparkling, flowing gown, which was sleeveless. The woman stepped forwards, keeping the gown out of the way of her feet. Her hair was white, just like everything else, and it was tied back into a bun.

The White Queen's eyes seemed to widen for a moment at the sight of Holly before looking at Jin. "Umm, welcome, the both of you." There seemed to be nervousness in her voice. "Hatter, it is always a pleasure. This must be the new child I've heard about from the Cheshire cat." She opened her gloved hands to accept Holly within them. "Maybe we should get you back to your normal size—that is, unless you want to sleep upon a pin cushion."

"Can you do that?" Holly asked, standing upon the Queen's hand like she was Thumbalina.

"What is done can be undone," explained the Queen, waving Jin to follow. "Do you know where you've found yourself, young girl?" Asked the kind Queen, as she continued down the hallway.

Holly couldn't help but notice that most of the guards looked like white chess pieces. "I've heard it called…Wonderland." She looked up at the Queen. "My mother would speak of this place to me. She told me the impossible is possible in Wonderland."

A bright smile could be seen on the coal, black lips of the Queen. "So, your mother has traveled here." She turned the right corner and made it into a room with many different potions, bubbling from within their glasses. "I guess your family is destined to continue slipping into the sensible world of Wonderland."

Holly couldn't help but find the word 'sensible' next to 'Wonderland' was worth a chuckle.

The Queen placed Holly down on the wooden table, lined with different colored liquids to start working on something that would return the young girl to her normal size. She didn't bother telling Holly everything that was going into the concoction, as the Queen scooted the large, wooden bowl over towards Holly once she was finished. "I was taught how to make this before, so I am sure I got all the ingredients right—at least, I think so."

_The dream cannot hurt me_, Holly reminded herself, as she started to drink from the bowl. As soon as she did so, she started to slowly grow back to normal size.

With the small dress ripping apart from Holly growing in size, Jin quickly removed his orange jacket to place upon her for the time being. "I figured Holly might be best suited under your care, my Queen," said Jin finally, keeping his hands upon the girl's shoulders.

"She may," agreed the White Queen. "The fact that she has found her way here sure is promising." The Queen guided Holly out of the room they were within and back down the towering hallway. "It has been a short and, probably, uneventful day for you."

Holly looked up at the White Queen with a raise of her brow. She found her to be expressing something opposite to what was expected.

"Sleeping might help you," the Queen continued, as she made it to a bedroom Holly could use within the palace.

The white canopy bed was almost as big, if not bigger, than the other back at her house. There were flowing curtains all around the bed. Holly watched as they danced about in the calm wind, which blew from the balcony. There was a white rocking horse near the equally white vanity and dresser.

"It is like everything is covered in snow here," said Holly, as she made her way towards the bed.

"White can be a delightful color," said the White Queen, as she made her way over towards the dresser to pull out a nightgown for the visitor to wear. She found it to be a perfect fit, as she helped Holly within the gown

Holly couldn't help but notice something familiar within the woman's eyes. They were warm and welcoming. Even if she spoke strangely, there was still something very inviting about the blue orbs.

"Get to bed," the woman whispered between them, helping her upon the canopy's sheets. "The sun may rise soon or it may not. Either way, it is best to be prepared." She tucked Holly in with a tender smile. "Sleep well."

Holly watched the fair Queen pull from the bedside and head out the door. The hatter was still standing there, prompting Holly to beckon him over.

"Jin," she called. "Can you stay with me?"

Jin headed over towards the canopy bed to sit upon the empty space beside the young girl. He removed his hat and placed it down upon the nightstand. "Wonderland doesn't still frighten you, does it?"

"It is all kinds of crazy," she answered quietly between them. "My mother would talk about Wonderland, like it was a wonderful place full of magic and things you've never seen." She began to fidget with the blankets that almost swallowed her small frame. "It all seems very…frightening."

"Maybe you're not used to it," expressed Jin, placing his hand upon her brown hair. "You just have to grow into Wonderland, and let Wonderland grow into you." He pressed his finger gently upon her chest where her heart was.

Holly didn't know whether to agree or disagree, as she closed her eyes in hopes of waking back into the sensible, logic driven world she was used to.


	2. Chapter 2

"I am telling you, mother," Holly began the next morning at 'dinner', "I dreamed that I was within Wonderland. I think it is the same Wonderland you always spoke about."

Alice Little walked over to the dinning room table to work on the hot tea she usually had for their breakfast dinner. "Wonderland, hu? You are enduring it the around the same time I did." She took her seat at the table, minding her baggy, white pants she had on.

"She woke up close to midnight talking all about a Red Queen with hearts and some grinning cat," Bernard explained, as he worked on his steak. "I am sure it was just a dream, honey; take your vitamin."

Alice didn't say anything to her husband, as she felt differently about what Wonderland was. "Don't mind him, sweetie." Upon finishing her meal, she caught the time on her wristwatch to see it was time for her to head off to work. "I better get to work. It is quite early or late, depending on how you want to look at it."

Getting to her feet, Alice bent over to kiss her daughter on the cheek while working at tying her blond hair back into a bun. Turning to her husband next, she kissed him goodbye as well before bothering to straighten his tie. "Love you both, and please be mindful of the nanny, Holly."

Holly accepted the kiss from her mother, as she picked away at her broccoli. She always was mindful of the nanny, but she didn't like the fact that during the summer, her parents still had to work a majority of the day. "Love you too, mamma."

Bernard could tell that Holly wasn't happy that her mother was leaving, and he knew his departure for the moment wouldn't make her feel any better. "I guess I better go too," he expressed with a light sigh at seeing the disappointed frown on Holly's face. "Hey, I'll be home tonight, and you can tell me all about this Wonderland of yours that you witnessed."

She knew her father was trying to cheer her up, so Holly pressed a smile. "Okay, daddy. I will see you later." With another kiss to her other cheek, she watched as her parents were soon out of the building.

Sighing to herself, Holly departed from the dinning room table to make it towards the living room. She could clearly see that it was raining outside from where she soon found herself resting upon the sofa. Holly could hear the nanny walking around upstairs.

However the sound of her walking sounded more like thumping at first—like someone was hopping up and down. "Julia?" Holly called, pulling from the sofa. "Julia, is that you?"

There was no answer, but the noise continued.

"Julia, are you up there…?" Her voice trailed off when she realized that her father was still talking to the nanny out on the sidewalk. "Julia…?" Holly said curiously. Her eyes shifted from the woman behind the umbrella up towards the ceiling above her.

Getting to her feet, Holly walked nervously towards the end of the stairs, which led up to the second floor. She couldn't believe that someone or something was within their house. Holly refused to move at first from where she was until finally finding the strength in her legs to bolt up the carpeted steps to the upper section of the house.

She could tell the sound was coming from her bedroom, making her all the more anxious. Taking a deep breath, Holly moved quietly towards her room door. Her hand upon the doorknob, she swallowed harshly before throwing open the door to allow herself inside.

Holly found the room normal. Nothing was out of place regardless of the thumping sound she could hear from downstairs. "Hello?" She called. "Hello, is anybody here?"

Everything was quiet. It put Holly on edge, even if she was used to her bedroom being quiet around this time of the day. She just couldn't ignore the fact that she heard awkward thumping earlier.

Soon, her closet began to rattle. It was as if something was behind the doors wanting out. Holly turned her attention to the white, sliding door to see it shaking a bit. She slowly advanced towards the closet to grab onto the doorknobs in order to throw it open to find nothing there—until her eyes slowly panned downwards to see a white rabbit staring up at her.

"Awe, where did you come from?" Holly asked, kneeling down to reach out for the rabbit, whose nose was twitching from side to side.

The rabbit hopped into her arms, finding it to be perfectly comfortable there.

Holly took the white rabbit and headed over towards her bed to sit down upon it. "How did you manage to get in here?" She knew the animal wasn't going to talk, but she didn't mind speaking to it all the same.

The rabbit's aqua colored eyes shifted about the room, as if looking for something. Its white ears could catch the sounds going on outside. With the news of people not being inside of the building yet, he hopped out of Holly's hands and got to the floor to skitter over towards the door to stand before it.

Holly watched as the creature did such a thing. What shocked her the most was the fact the door seemed to close slowly on its own. Bringing her knees in, she witnessed the rabbit shifting its focus upon her. She could have sworn she saw a grin hook its face.

"Now that we're alone," spoke the rabbit, as he looked over his shoulder.

Her body going numb for a moment at what she was witnessing, Holly could hardly find her words to even speak. "You-You're the White Rabbit I saw, aren't you?"

The rabbit hopped upon her lap with its whiskers twitching. "Of course I am. Jin wishes to see you again. He says it is tea time." The smile upon his mouth was unnatural to Holly, and she couldn't help but find herself freezing at the mere sight of it. "He waits for you at his house."

"But—I got there by sleeping," Holly felt need to point out, as she watched the rabbit hop out of her lap again and upon the covers of her bed. "How else can I get to Wonderland?"

"Very simple—." The White Rabbit jumped off of the bed yet again, but as soon as his feet hit the ground, he suddenly transformed into a man with blond hair, white rabbit ears and a tail. He was wearing a white tuxedo with a black tie. "—You follow the White Rabbit," he concluded, straightening his tie.

Managing to find her words, Holly shook her head and inquired, "What should I call you besides White Rabbit?"

The rabbit pulled out a very large pocket watch—it almost seemed he was looking more at his reflection than what time it was before he showed the surface of it to Holly to let her see the eight o'clock time. "You can call me Suzuka if that makes you feel better." Pulling a monocle out of his left pocket, Suzuka put it over his left eye to better examine the time to be sure his clock wasn't fooling him.

Sliding off of her bed, Holly grabbed one of her nearby stuffed animals. It was a brown, stuffed horse that she would hold close to her nightgown she still had on. "How are we going to get there? I just woke up. I cannot bother going back to sleep now."

Suzuka turned back to the closet door to close it before checking the sides of it. It was as if he were looking for an entrance to Wonderland that way. Holly couldn't help but chuckle to herself at having him think her closet was probably a way. "Well, like I said, you'll just have to—." Suzuka opened the closet door again to show that the clothes and everything previously there was now replaced by the hatter's house. "—Follow the White Rabbit."

"Wow," Holly gasped, as she walked towards her closet to find another world there within her room.

Pocketing his large pocket watch, Suzuka outstretched his hand to the world waiting for her. His aqua eyes remained on her, as Holly slowly stepped into Wonderland. With the young girl soon in the fantasy world, he followed behind her. Closing the closet doors behind him, they seemed to vanish within the world about them. "Right this way," Suzuka said, as he took Holly's dainty hand within his own.

Holly accepted his hand within her own, as she was guided beyond the white fence once more and back to the very large tea table. She could hear a flute being played. It was a very magical melody. Making it beyond the table, Holly looked up at the roof of the hatter and hare's house to find Jin sitting Indian style upon the blue bricks playing a flute of some kind.

Suzuka cupped his hand near his mouth to help his voice travel as he shouted up to the redhead. "Hatter!"

Jin was obviously too fixated with his melody to even hear the White Rabbit.

Grumbling at the mad hatter, Suzuka yelled his name again. "_**JIN!**_"

The flute playing screeched to a halt at that moment. Jin removed his lips from the mouthpiece to gaze down at Holly and Suzuka with a slight raise of his brow. "So," he called down in return, "you both made it!"

Suzuka watched as Jin jumped off of the roof of the building to land perfectly upon his brown shoes. "We are only late by a minute, which isn't too much to fret over."

"While tea time is anytime, I guess it would be better to arrive late than early," said Jin, as he squatted down to meet Holly at her level. "If one arrives early, it might imply something."

Holly closed her eyes momentarily when she felt Jin's hand touch the top of her head. "The same can be said about arriving late, though," she felt need to point out.

Jin threw his head back, as he was overwhelmed with laugher. "Quick one, you are—just like your mother."

"She never did figure out why a raven is like a writing desk, though," spoke Kurama. He had apparently been resting at the table, sipping on the tea while the others were conversing.

"Why not join us for some tea, Suzuka?" Jin suggested, waving Holly and the White Rabbit towards the tea table.

Suzuka rolled his shoulders, pocketing his hands within his white pants. "I suppose. I don't quite see the harm in such a thing." He walked over towards the table to find a seat between the hatter and hare.

Holly sat upon the empty seat next to the hatter on the other side of the table. Considering what happened last time, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about accepting any tea this round. "I am not going to shrink again…am I?"

"You will never know unless you take a chance," said Jin, as he leaned back in his chair with his feet crossed upon the table. He twirled his teacup in his hand idly, making tea splash a bit here and there.

Putting the teacup down, Holly turned to the cupcakes on the table. "Maybe food might be best."

"It might—it might not," said Kurama, as he took another sip of his tea. As he did so, his left, floppy ear perked up slightly and moved towards the east. He could pick up the sound of horses and armor, prompting him to turn from his tea and look in that direction. "Jin, something is coming."

The hatter's elfin ears moved slightly to the sound as well. His normal smile turned to a serious frown before converting into a mischievous smirk. He remained relaxed upon his chair. "I think the Red Queen is bringing in her deck of cards."

"R-Red Queen…?" Holly stammered, remembering the crazy woman who would often turn red in the face whenever she was angered. "She is coming here?"

"Oh dear," said Suzuka, as he found himself slinking down into his own chair. He didn't want to be bothered by the Red Queen's guards.

The woods parted soon enough to allow way for the armored guards on their horses decked in red and white saddle and reins. Their armor was the same matching color, as the leader of them jumped down off of the back of is steed to come towards the table. He kept his hand upon his sword on his hip. Holly couldn't see his face, given that the headpiece covered a majority of it.

"I have come on behalf of the Red Queen to retrieve the young child," spoke the leader, as he held out a piece of parchment to read from. "She has been charged with defiling the Queen's rosebush garden and must be beheaded immediately."

Holly remembered walking into the Red Queen's territory and accidentally plucking a few roses only to be yelled at by the woman and ordered to have her head removed. It was the grinning cat that would help her escape such a fate.

Jin looked over at the frightened Holly before eyeing the guard once more. "Now, gentlemen, you're just in time for tea. What is the big rush in all of this?"

"Don't try to sidetrack us, mad hatter!" Growled the guard, pointing his soon unsheathed sword at Jin. "We've come for the girl, and we're not leaving without her!"

Kurama opened his eyes and looked with annoyance over at the intruders.

When they took one more step towards the table, the vines underneath them soon came alive and began to wrap about their armored bodies tightly. The guards weren't aware of what was going on about them, as they struggled against the moving, thorny vines.

A satisfied smirk crept across Kurama's face, as he raised the cup back to his lips. "Now, now," he said after his drink, "you wouldn't want to go messing with _**mad**_ people, would you?"

The guard growled angrily at Kurama's antics to keep them from getting to Holly. Taking his spaded blade, he thrust downwards to rid himself of the plant thorns, which were beginning to try and prick through his steel armor. "Hare! Hatter!" He yelled in a furious tone. "Don't think this is over!" His cold eyes, which could be seen shrouded in the darkness of his helm, gazed over at Holly. "I will return for the girl, even if I have to send the Jabberwocky after you all!"

Holly was expecting them to tremble or surrender her, but instead, she turned to the hatter to see a crazy smile upon his lips—his teeth could be clearly seen. "Maybe he would like some tea as well," Jin said in an eerie tone.

Not pleased, the guard brushed off the weakened spell Kurama had put over his plants and turned to head back to his horse. "You all better watch your back," he hissed angrily before riding away from the hatter and hare's house.

"You could have gotten yourself beheaded for that," Holly felt need to point out to the hatter and hare.

"They aren't considered crazy without a reason," Suzuka felt need to point out. It was as if he was insulting their brave act. "All this trouble for one girl. You both are madder than Wonderland gives you credit for." With that said, he put the tea to his lips.

"One cannot be mad without reason," Kurama expressed, resting his cheek upon his knuckles. "And within every reason is madness at times."

Suzuka cocked his brow at Kurama, pulling away from one of the roots, which was still acting alive under the hare's influence. "Very…_**logical**_ of you…" The White Rabbit seemed to grumble, as he pulled his teacup away from the awakened plant.

Jin leaned towards Holly with a brief chuckle. "Don't worry about them. The Red Queen cannot lay a finger on you, my dear—at least not with us here and insane."

"I do suppose that's kind of you," said Holly, as she tried to relax back within her cushioned chair. She paused, thinking about the White Queen. "What about the White Queen? Why does she not remove the Red Queen if she rules Wonderland?"

"Because the Red Queen is the sister to the White Queen," Suzuka answered, as he had served the White Queen loyally for so many years. He seemed to know a fair bit of her secrets. "While the fair Queen could be rid of the evil one, she chooses to try and reason with her to this day." The blond haired rabbit turned to Holly with a roll of his shoulders, putting his teacup down upon the tablecloth. "Why she does such a thing is a mystery she hasn't even told me about." Suzuka departed from the table at that moment. "If it is all the same with you, I am going to head that way for when the Queen returns."

"If you insist," said Jin, as he poured himself another cup of tea.

"I think I might join in walking a bit around Wonderland," said Holly, as she parted from the tea party table. "While tea is always nice, I find I want to walk about Wonderland a bit more…if this place is real."

Jin's cup met with the table with a rather loud clatter. The other dishes shook upon the tabletop. "Of course Wonderland is real!" He exclaimed, baring his fangs.

Holly jumped back, seeing the look of insanity in his blue eyes.

"It is as real as the hearth within your chest," Jin grumbled, trying to calm himself when Kurama had grabbed onto his nearest shoulder to try and settle him.

The young girl stood there, unsure of what to say to the enraged hatter. She had never seen him angry before, and, to be honest, it startled her a bit. "Well, if you'll excuse me," she said with a slight curtsy, "I am going to be on my way."

"It wouldn't be wise to go out there when the Red Queen is looking for you," Kurama advised—it was probably the smartest thing he had ever said since Holly had met him.

"I will take my chances," Holly insisted, hurrying out of the white fenced area to be on her way towards the forest.

Her bare feet hurried through the dirt and wet grass to make it deeper into Wonderland. As she continued through the woods, she could swear that her name was being called upon the wind. Holly ignored it, not wishing to return to the hatter and hare for the moment. She was worried she may very well upset them to the point they might be the ones to behead her.

Turning quickly, Holly was met with an upraised root belonging to a very large tree. Tripping upon it, she fell to the dirt, getting her nightgown a good bit dirty. She found her feet eventually and hurried through the multicolored forest to find a hollowed out tree to curl up within.

"Come on," Holly whispered to herself, as she placed her fingers upon her forehead. "Wake up; wake up! I want to go home!"

A big, toothy grin began to materialize behind Holly, though she was unaware of this at the time, followed by a pair of blue eyes. "Just like your mother before you, you are so eager to leave Wonderland," spoke Touya from the darkness of the tree.

Holly jumped at the sound of someone right behind her. "While nonsense is always a valued thought at my house, Wonderland has too much of it!"

The rest of Touya's body began to come into view slowly. His arms were wrapped behind his head, where he was resting against the inside of the tree's trunk. The fluffy, light blue and aqua striped tail moved from side to side, as if to express him thinking. "Wonderland is full of impossibilities and nonsense—it is practically what it runs on." The tip of his tail teased Holly's nose. "It is what you run on."

"Don't be silly, Cheshire cat," Holly insisted, waving away his tail before she sneezed.

"Your mother made the impossible, possible," Touya continued, as he leaned forwards to get a better look into the young girl's eyes. "Have you tried speaking to her about her time in Wonderland."

Holly never really did find the time to think much on Wonderland and the stories surrounding it. She always thought it was just some bedtime story her mother would tell her. "All I remember was something about her beheading a Jabberwocky."

Touya's ears seemed to lay flat upon his head, as he hissed angrily at the mere mention of such a creature. "That evil thing of the Red Queen's! She has managed to conjure up the soul within one of her deadliest warriors…and it still lives!"

Bringing her knees to her chest, Holly tried to think about happier things. "I just want to go home, is all. I want to return to where things made sense."

The Cheshire cat opened his arms and allowed her to find comfort against his chest. His tail wrapped about her body to add more warmth to her body. "Every world indulges in a little chaos and insanity," he whispered, placing his hand upon her head.

"I know," sighed Holly, as she closed her eyes for a moment. "I just want to close my eyes and find my way back into my world for once."

As soon as she said such a thing, she felt herself falling asleep. Breathing steadily, she felt as though the Cheshire cat was becoming soft—just like her bed's covers. Realizing that she was against covers again, Holly began to open her eyes to find herself back within her home.

"I am home again?" She wondered, sitting upright on the bed. Hearing the door open behind her, Holly looked over her shoulder to find the nanny walking into her bedroom.

"Of course you're home," Julia said, as she had apparently heard what Holly was muttering. "You've been lying there for a good while. I thought you were up." She looked down at Holly and her nightgown, disapprovingly. "What happened to your nightgown? Have you been rolling around in the mud outside!"

Holly could tell that Julia didn't approve of the stains. "It wasn't my fault. I was running away from a tea party that the hatter and hare had set up, and I tripped and fell."

"Tea party?" Julia questioned, as she looked about the room. "Hatter? Hare?" Her eyes soon came across a tea party table with a brown rabbit toy and a doll at the chairs. "Stop letting your imagination run away with you."

"It wasn't my imagination," Holly said in her defense, as she touched the dirtied nightgown. "It was…real…" Her voice trailed off, thinking about the fact she had told the hatter that Wonderland wasn't anything more than a dream.

"Just get changed so that I can wash that nightgown of yours," Julia insisted, as she continued to gather up the dirty clothes about the room.

Holly looked from her nightgown to the closet she remembered going through to reach Wonderland. Without another word on the subject, she headed out of the room to get changed and dressed for the day.


End file.
